Yugi: King of Games
by Lady Ava
Summary: Yugi and the gang are off to Egypt. But it seems that someone is after Yugi. Can the others find out what is happening before it's too late? (Really old story...be warned)
1. Prolouge

Yugi: Master of Games 

By Lady Ava 

_Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! _

Prologue 

"Mistress! Mistress!" A small demon shouted as he ran into a large stone room. Torches were lit around a large altar that was made of sandstone. The symbols of the Millennium items were craved into statues that had offerings around them. There were large stone Egyptian gods guarding the altar as well, fire surrounding each one. 

  The small creature rushed up a tall flight of stairs that lead to a large gold throne. There, sat a woman of elegant stature. Her long black hair trailed to the floor and her midnight blue eyes shimmered. She wore a gown of black silk with a gold necklace bearing the Millennium Eye on it. 

"Mistress! I have news!" The sad little creature shouted as it fell to his knees before the woman. "We found the master of games!"

Glancing down at the trembling animal at her feet, the woman stood. "Excellent work. It's about. We only have two more weeks until the planetary alignment and I need the last piece of the puzzle. Enough with the idle chit chat, show him to me." 

Scrambling to his feet, the demon hurried to one of the many torches. Removing a handful of black sand from a pouch on it belt, the creature blew it onto the fire. Within moments, a picture began to appear. 

A young teenager slept soundly in his bed. He seemed ordinary enough, minus the fact that he had purple and blond hair. And there, next to him on his end table, sat the Millennium Puzzle. 

"You mean to tell me that this…child…is the master of the Puzzle?" The woman roared as she studied the picture.

"Y…Yes my lady." The demon stuttered nervously. "His name is Yugi and he knows the ways of the game." 

"Is that so?" The lady asked. Stepping forward so that she stood directly in front of the picture, she ran a finger around the image. Suddenly, she became alarmed. "No. It can't be. Could it be? That woman and man's son from so long ago? The people who stole the last piece of the puzzle from me?" Examining the image closer, her evil grin widened. "Indeed. It is. That baby grew into the master of games?" Tapping the picture lightly, the woman laughed. "Well then Yugi. You will soon learn the fate that awaits you. And that the past will always come back to haunt you."   

  **__**


	2. A Fair Warning

**_Disclaimer_**_: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!_

**__**

**_Chapter One_**

~ A Fair Warning ~ 

Yugi awoke with a start from his not so restful sleep. His usual tan skin had gone a milk white color and his whole body was drenched in ice cold sweat. Breathing heavily, the teenager glanced over at his clock. It read in its bright crimson numbers, '3am.'

Gulping harshly to force the lump in his throat to go down, Yugi placing his damp brow into his hands. "What was that?" He questioned into the darkness. Moving his fingers through his beautiful violet and blond hair, Yugi still felt a bit shaken. 

For the past three nights, the young duelist had started having the strangest dreams. He stood in a strange palace like room. The walls were solid gold with tiny foreign markings carved and melded into it. Tall towers of gold supported the massive ceiling which, too, had beautiful pieces of artwork painted on it. In front of him, there stood a massive throne and alter that seemed prepared for an ancient ritual of some sort. Then, two cloaked figures appeared on either side of the prayer table within the blink of an eye, if not quicker. One seemed to be a woman and the other a man. As they prepared the service, a familiar voice asked them, "Are we almost ready to begin the duel?"

"Yes pharaoh. Soon you will be able to duel with Lord Seto." The woman explained.

"Lord Yugioh, the duelists are all gathering to watch your match. What should we do?" The man inquired.

Stepping from the shadows, the figure of Yugi dressed as an ancient pharaoh of Egypt appeared. "Let them come to see the plants aline over the great pyramids and to see the King of Games be determined.

Yugi shook his head to try to rid himself of the memories of the dream. Every time he saw those images, it made him feel sick to his stomach. His head felt like it was under water and he was trying desperately to gather air but it didn't work. 

"What do those dreams mean?" He asked himself quietly. 

Lying back down under his sheets, Yugi couldn't help but glance over at the millennium puzzle that sat next to him on his end table. The gold necklace seemed to shimmer in the light of the street lamps outside the store. "He looked just like me. I wonder…" But he couldn't finish his thoughts, for as soon as he placed his head back onto his pillow; Yugi fell instantly back to sleep.

"Yugi? Yugi! Wake up, you lazy boy. You don't want to miss your trip now do you?" Grandpa Mutou's voice shouted up the stairs and into the room of his grandson. It was now seven in the morning and Yugi had a flight to catch in an hour. 

Shooting up into an upright position, the young teen let his eyes widen at the time on his clock. "ACK! Why did I have to sleep in? Today of all days!" 

Leaping from his bed, Yugi rushed himself into his school uniform: black tank top, white button-down shirt, blue jacket and blue pants with his sneakers. He then went to his bedside and grabbed the millennium puzzle. While placing that around his neck, the young duelist grabbed his cards, suitcase, and backpack and ran out the door and towards the kitchen. 

Yugi's grandfather sat calmly at the table sipping a cup of tea lightly. He knew that his grandson was easily over rushed. That was just his nature. The old man always thought it best for Yugi to learn from experience. That's why he let him duel in competitions. The taste of what life had to offer was what he was hoping to teach his grandson. 

Glancing up from his mug, Grandpa was just in time to see his grandson slid into the kitchen, with suitcase and backpack in hand. "Why did you let me sleep so late?" The boy inquired as he tried to catch his breath. 

"You need to learn to set your alarm louder." The man simply stated taking another sip of his coffee.

Raising an eyebrow, Yugi simply shrugged and reverted back to his belongs. "I thought I had it high enough." He muttered as he checked over everything to make sure it was all there. 

Clearing his throat slightly, Grandpa Mutou smiled slyly. "You also need to learn when to talk about when you have nightmares that cause you to wake up in the middle of the night."

Freezing in his spot, Yugi stared up at his guardian. "How did you—"

"I heard you yelp in your sleep as I was getting a drink." The man explained as he saw his grandson turn a light pink. Watching as Yugi tried to find the right words to explain what had happened, he simply laughed. "It's alright Yugi. It is normal for some people to have those kinds of dreams. Especially now." 

"Why now?" Yugi found himself asking. 

Standing from the table, the old man grabbed the morning paper. Folding it so that it showed the banner headline clearly, he let Yugi read it aloud. 

"Planets Aline For First Time in 5,000 Years." His eyes widening with curiosity, Yugi continued to read on. "In six days, the planet earth will become part of an event that hasn't occurred since ancient times. On Sunday, June 16th, the planets of the solar system will aline in a completely straight line creating a complete systemary eclipse to occur. The Earth will become completely shadowed for the time of one hour…'

"I still don't understand what that has to do with dreams I have." Yugi admitted sheepishly. 

Laughing lightly, Mutou placed a hand onto the teen's head. "Some people are sensitive to the stars and the ancient ways of the planets. Therefore, when planets aline, they start to experience strange dreams or visions." He explained. "And since you're the barer of the Millennium Puzzle, you are extremely sensitive to the stars." 

"I think I get it." Yugi said flatly but then became questionable. "But what does that have to do with the puzzle?" 

Glancing up at the clock, Grandpa suddenly gulped. "I'll tell you when you come home. But right now, we need to get you to the airport." 

Yugi and his Grandfather drove to Tokyo International Airport without hitting any of the early morning traffic. They made it with twenty minutes to spare before Yugi's flight was set to depart. This gave them time to put Yugi's things onto the luggage belt and say their goodbyes. 

When they reached the terminal, Yugi smiled at his grandfather. "Well, this is it. I'll take some great pictures for you." He said happily. 

"Yugi," Mutou stated in a serious tone, causing Yugi to become stern as well. "I want you to be careful and keep an eye on your Millennium Puzzle. With the alignment approaching fast, people will be acting strangely."

Smiling, the young duelist nodded. "I'll be careful." Then, giving a quick hug to his guardian, Yugi ran off down the terminal and towards the gate. 

"Yugi…if only you really knew what is waiting for you. If only…" Grandpa Mutou thought to himself as his grandson vanished from sight. 

                                 ~*~*~*Please read and review ~*~*~*


	3. By Plane, By Train

**_Disclaimer:__ I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!_**

**__**

**__**

**_Chapter Two_**

**_~ By Plane and By Train ~_**

**_By: Lady Ava_**

****

"Egypt! I can't believe it!" Téa shouted happily as she, Joey, and Tristan stood on line to board their flight.

 This year, Domino High School's freshman class had voted to travel to Egypt for their class trip. Although the teachers had been skeptical about raising the funds, the entire class managed to gather the money from fund raising and such. It was the biggest trip that the Domino school had ever planned. Everyone was dressed in their uniforms, with carry-on bags in hand, waiting excitedly for their trip to commence. 

Sighing and becoming dreamy eyed, Téa giggled. "I can't wait to take in those beautiful sites. All those cute guys with their deep tans and hot smiles. This is our best trip yet." 

Glancing up from his magazine, Joey smirked. "With the way you're acting, you'll probably scare all the guys away." 

Coming out of her daydream, the brown haired girl glared at the blond. "If you say one more thing Joey, just one more thing…I will hurt you so bad, your dead relatives will feel it." She growled. 

"I'm shaking in my Nikes." He murmured, reverting his gaze back to his reading. 

Tristan rolled his eyes and glanced above the crowd. "Have you guys seen Yugi? We're leaving in a few minutes and he's no where in sight." 

Ending their stare off, Téa and Joey began to search for their friend as well. Although, it was trying to find a needle in a haystack. Yugi was short, but the one thing that made him a bit taller was his purple and blond spiked hair. That was one of the only things that made him stand out in a crowd. 

"I hope he's here somewhere. Yugi has been looking forward to this trip the most out of all of us." Téa told as she continued to search the area. 

"Hey, what are you guys looking for?" A voice said from behind. 

Joey turned from his post to see a short, smiling teen staring at him. He was dressed in a similar uniform and had a pyramid-shaped medallion hanging around his neck.  "Hey Yug. Help us look for Yu…" His voice trailed off as he saw his friend laugh lightly at him. 

"Morning guys. Are you guys ready for our trip like I am?" Yugi asked cheerfully. 

"Of course." Joey exclaimed happily. "I can't wait to see the place in with our favorite game first came from."

The game that he spoke of was the ever-popular Duel Monsters card game. Teenagers and adults alike from all over the earth had started dueling with the complex card game and were instantly hooked. And it was all thanks to the millionaire businessman, Maxmillion Pegasus. He was considered a genius when it came to the cards. Although, Yugi, Téa, Tristan, and Joey knew better than that. They knew that Pegasus was nothing more than a greedy and cold-hearted duelist who had nothing on his mind but power. But that was a completely different story.    

The conversation was lively until an announcement came over the loud speaker. "Flight 246 to Hong Kong is now boarding at gate 23A. All passengers should report to the gate." 

The class trip was very different from previous years. First, they would fly from Tokyo airport to Hong Kong. Then, board a train to India. Finally, the last leg of the journey consisted of a fairy ride to the port in Cairo. This part of the journey would take one and a half days non-stop. Once arriving in Cairo, they would spend two weeks there. Then fly home. 

The flight was shorter than expected but was indeed very boring. Tristan, Joey, Téa, and Yugi quickly grew tired of the in-flight movie and had reverted to playing Duel Monsters and talking. But through most of the flight, Yugi stayed quiet. He wasn't in the mood for talking. The others thought that he was just feeling a little woozy from the plane, but that wasn't it at all. 

As Téa and Joey played Duel Monsters and Tristan had reverted to watching the movie again, Yugi rested his head against the cool plane window. His eyes were focused half on the card game and half on the scene outside the plane. He felt very tried, mostly because of that strange dream he kept having. The pharaoh looked a lot like him and that scared him a bit. Yugi didn't understand it, but it really wiped him out. 

Closing his eyes slightly, Yugi began to hum quietly. It wasn't anything special, just a little random tune that came to his mind. "Hey Yugi." Téa asked, causing him open his eyes and stare at the girl. "Whatcha humming?" 

"Don't know. It just kinda came to me." He murmured.

Upon arriving in Hong Kong, there were buses awaiting the class at the airport. They boarded them quickly and after a quick roll call, were off to catch their train. Turns out, the teachers had gotten the time wrong and the entire Freshman class ended up having to sprint with all their luggage to catch their train. 

Yugi and the others found a quite section of the train to sit in. The old steam engine was like the ones in the early 1900's. Sliding doors were how you entered the small room that was meant for four people. The compartments had two cushioned benches facing each other with curtains on the windows. Steel luggage racks hung over head and were under the seats. It was the only way to travel. 

Joey and Yugi sat across from each other with a small table between them, playing Duel Monsters. Téa was reading the fourth Harry Potter book while Tristan was off checking the menus in the dining car. 

Letting out a loud yawn, Yugi stared at his friend who sat trying to figure out what card to use next. "Take your time Joey. Don't get so tense." He told, sounding very sleepy. 

"Sorry if I'm putting you to sleep Yugi." Joey laughed with his eyes remaining on his cards. "I guess I'm not a challenge for the dueling master." 

"That's not it Joey." Yugi started, letting out another yawn. "I'm just really tired that's all." 

Téa looked up from her book and stared at her friend. He did look exhausted. His eyes were dropping slowly and he could barely hold his head up. "Maybe you should lay down for a while. You look like you haven't slept in days." 

Smiling at his friend's worry, Yugi shook his head. "I'm fine." 

"Did you get enough sleep last night?" She questioned, not wanting to drop the subject. 

"Yea. I slept the entire night." 

"Maybe you have jetlag." Joey suggested. 

Téa shook her head. "That only happens if you have been traveling for a long time. We've only been gone for four hours. Jetlag starts usually after 8 hours." She explained, but didn't sound that sure of the actual time jetlag would set in. 

"You were fine this morning at the airport. You feel alright?" The blond questioned. 

Yugi only nodded. But he was kidding himself. His hands were trembling softly and he felt sick to his stomach. 'I felt like this when I woke up this morning.' He thought to himself as he continued to watch Joey think about his next move. 'That dream made me feel so sick and tired. I know that Grandpa said to be careful on the trip. I think he knows about my dreams. He can always tell about stuff like that.' Suddenly, his cards slipped from his hand and onto the table. Running his fingers into his mane of hair, Yugi shook his head quickly. Then, he fell against the wall and was out cold. 

"Hey. Yugi? Yugi? Are you alright?" Joey asked, becoming alarmed. Reaching over the table, he shook Yugi's shoulder lightly. No response. 

Téa leaned over and brushed Yugi's blond bangs from his eyes. Then, resting her hand on his brow, she suddenly became alarmed. "Oh my god! Joey, he's burning up! Go and get the teacher and Tristan quickly!"  

"Tristan! Where are ya?" Joey called as he sprinted down the corridors of the train. He was able to find their supervisor, Mr. Fujiama, but Tristan was a different story. 

Hearing someone call his name, the brown haired boy glanced up from his soda. Tristan sat the bar talking to some of the girls in his class. Looking over at the door, he saw Joey panting heavily. "Joey, what's up?" He asked as he excused himself from his lady friends and paid. 

As he came into reach, Joey grabbed his friend's wrists and broke out into a run again. "Come on! We gotta hurry." 

"Why? What's the matter?" Tristan questioned, freeing himself from Joey's death grip but continued running. 

"Yugi passed out while we were playing Duel Monsters. Téa said that his burning up with a fever." 

Tristan quickly picked up his pace. "Are you sure?" 

"Trust me. I saw it happen." 

The sounds of a woman's voice chanting echoed through Yugi's mind caused him to awaken. He was no longer in the train, but instead stood before a great stone altar. The room was dark and hot, for fire was everywhere. Glancing towards the top of the large stone stairway that lead to the prayer grounds on the altar, Yugi felt himself become uneasy. There were stone statues of the millennium items lined on the stairs on every other step. 

Walking forward towards the steps, the chanting started to become louder. Yugi tried to listen to understand what she was saying, but he didn't know the language. She was speaking it too fast so that even he understood it, he couldn't hear each word. 

Yugi started to scale the massive stairway. As he stepped on each sandstone stair, fire shot out from the symbols on the statues. Flinching in pain as the flames licked his skin, the teen broke into a run, trying to escape the hot embers. 

Upon reaching the top, Yugi fell to his knees and thanked god that he was alive. Looking up at the scene before him, he almost wished he had. A woman dressed in black with black hair stood in front of a fire pit. And, hanging above the flames, were Téa, Joey, Tristan and one other. One was a young woman whose face was hidden in shadow. They were all in a comatose state as they hung there, unaware of the danger below them. 

"A perfect sacrifice to the gods of the underworld. Don't you agree?" The woman asked, glancing into the shadows. 

Following her look, Yugi felt himself drain of his color. Emerging of the shadows was none other than himself. "Do what you wish. I could care less." 

"NO!" Yugi shouted as he watched the woman cut the rope. 

Yugi shot out of his sleep with a gasp. He panted a bit and looked about the car. Tristan, Joey, Téa, his teacher, and a stranger watching him curiously. That's when he realized that it was all a dream. Nothing was wrong and he and his friends were safe. "It was just a dream…" He whispered, relaxing again against the wall. 

Suddenly, the stranger appeared above him. "Please open your mouth and say aw."

"Why?" Yugi questioned. "I'm not sick. And who are you?" 

Clearing his throat, the man seemed to be a bit annoyed. "I'm the train's doctor. And you are sick. You have a temperature of 102.5." 

"Yugi, why didn't you say that you were sick?" Téa asked, smiling at him.

"We would of brought you back something from Cairo." Joey added. 

Raising an eyebrow, Yugi was starting to think that his friends were acting weirder than usual. "Um…I don't know where you got the idea that I was sick, but I'm fi-" 

The boy was cut off by a thermometer being shoved into his mouth. "Don't talk." The doctor commanded. The car remained silent as they waited for the tiny device in Yugi's mouth to beep. 

Within moments, the thermometer let out a soft beep. Yanking the utensil from Yugi's mouth, the doctor examined the number. His jaw dropped. "98.6…he's normal."

"Told ya." Yugi thought to himself. 

" Mr. Mutou," Mr. Fujiama started, sitting down on the opposite bench that Yugi was stretched out on. "Are you alright?" 

Nodding, the youth swung his legs around so that his feet were on the floor. "I'm fine sir." 

Smiling, the older man stood. "You gave your friends quit the scare. If it happens again, then we'll have to bring you to the hospital in Cairo have you checked out, okay?" 

"Yes sir." Yugi stated as he watched the man and the doctor leave. Then, letting out a long sigh, he fell back against the soft cushions and closed his eyes. "It was just a dream." He reminded himself again aloud. 

Joey and the others sat and watched their friend repeat something softly under his breath. They were still shaken about what had just happened and didn't really know what to say. Téa sat next to Yugi, her gaze averted to the floor, while Tristan and Joey sat across from him, staring at him questionably. 

After moments upon moments of dead silence, Yugi finally stood. "I think I'm going to get a soda from the dinning car to calm myself down." He stated, heading for the door.

"You want one of us to go with ya?" Joey asked. 

Turning to face his friends, Yugi only smiled. "You already helped me enough. Just sit and relax. I'm just fine." And with that, he left. 

~*~*~* Please Read and Review~*~*~*


	4. Memories from the Waves

**_Disclaimer:__ I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! I just write about it. _**

**__**

**_Chapter Two _**

**_~ Memories from the Waves ~_**

After the fever incident, the ride went back to normal. The powerful steam engine plowed down the tracks well into the night and into the early morning hours. The four duelists slept soundly in their compartment, with the exception of a couple of short stops that sent Joey flying onto the floor.  

 Finally, the train came to the station in the port of a small Indian town. People of all different races stood in the bayside market place, trying to barter and trade for the best prices on the fresh caught fish from that morning. The freshmen class found this to be very exciting and interesting. They too, went into the crowds and tried to barter for goods. They had one hour before they had to go to the fairy, so shopping was one thing that everyone wanted to do. 

"This is perfect." Téa told the others as they walked through the crowed streets. "I can get all my shopping done now for my family and I won't have to worry about it later." 

Tristan put his hands behind his head. "And let me guess, that will give you more time to 'check out guys'?" 

Turning a shade of red, the girl bit her lip. "He got ya there." Joey couldn't help but add. 

Yugi and Tristan laughed as they watched Téa give chase after Joey, her fists raised and ready to strike him down. "Those two will never learn." Yugi smirked out. 

Nodding in agreement, the brown haired teen turned towards one of the street shops. "Hey, you wanna help me find something for my mom? I promised that I would bring her back something." 

"No thanks. I think I'm gonna go down to the docks and check out the scenery. You can see the pyramids from here." Yugi explained, causing his friend to smile. "And besides," He added, holding up a camera,  "I promised Grandpa I would get some pictures for him. He hasn't seen Egypt in such a long time."

"Okay. I'll meet you at the fairy okay?" 

"Great! See ya later Tristan." 

"See ya." 

As Yugi turned to head towards the roads that would take him to the sea, an unsettling breeze rushed past him. Shaking off the uneasy feeling, he continued onward. 

A young woman turned from one of the buyer's tables and stared at Yugi as he ran off. "That boy's friend called him Yugi." She murmured under her breath. Flinging her violet locks over one of her shoulders, she watched as he turned the corner and disappeared. "Hum? I wonder…" She stated aloud as she too turned and headed towards the sea.

Walking out of one of the many alleyways that attached the town together, Yugi was met with the site of the ocean. The waves gently lapped onto the shore, washing away the top layer of sand and swept it out to sea. There were some large boulders scattered along the coast at seemed very out of place. Off in the horizon, the site of the Great pyramids and the city of Cairo could be seen. No one was around, making the site even better than Yugi could have ever dreamed. 

As the waves continued to wash up, Yugi sat down and removed his shoes and socks so as not to get them full of sand. Then, he rolled up his pants up to his ankles to prevent them from getting wet. Coming to his feet, the duelist walked over to one of the massive boulders and hoisted himself atop of it. 

"This is perfect." He aloud to himself as he took a picture of the area. "Grandpa will love these pictures. The last time he was here was when he found my millennium puzzle." 

Placing his camera down onto the rock, Yugi jumped off and into the shallow surf. He laughed lightly to himself as he walked along, letting the water roll over his feet and splash his ankles. Although he rolled up his pants, it didn't help much. They were still getting soaked. 

"Oh, what the hell…" He shouted and broke into a run. 

Yugi felt as if he had experienced his feeling before. Like he had been on this exact beach once a long time ago when he was really little. Stopping in his tracks, the boy let the ocean breeze caress his face gently. It almost wanted to tell him something, but he didn't understand it. 

Suddenly, he saw something off in the distance. It was an outline of a person, a girl to be precise. She had long flowing hair that came down to the back of her back. Her white sundress blew gently in the breeze and her platform sandals made her a bit taller than she probably was. A large straw hat covered her eyes so that her identity wouldn't be revealed. 

As the girl started a bit closer, Yugi couldn't help but feel that he had seen her before. The way she moved and the way she held herself seemed vaguely familiar to him. But it was something that he couldn't quit put his finger on. 

Closing his eyes trying to think, something didn't feel right. Yugi was starting to get that sick feeling like he had on the train. His head was beginning to pound and the clamminess of his hands was starting once more. Reopening his eyes, he saw that the girl had vanished. The sounds of the busy market were silenced and the beach had become wider. Staring around the scene before him, Yugi saw that city was completely gone. There was nothing but palm trees and sand. Lowering his head in thought, he quickly looked over towards where he saw Cairo before. That's when horror stuck him. The skyscrapers were gone and were replaced with a magnificent stone city of pillars and buildings. The Great Pyramids were in the middle of construction, for half of the side was missing and were robed and such. 

Yugi felt his heart stop. 'It can't be…' He thought to himself as he out stretched his hand. 

All of a sudden, the sound of someone calling his name broke his concentration on the picture in front of him. "Where are you? Yugi? Come on or else we're going to miss the fairy!" Tristan called from behind. 

Glancing back to see his friend waving him over, Yugi quickly looked back at the sea. But, the scene was gone. 

Feeling his heart sink a bit, the boy turned and jogged back to where Tristan was waiting. "Hey Yugi. I got a great gift for my mother. Did you get the pictures you wanted?" He asked as Yugi climbed back onto the rock to gather his shoes, socks, and camera. 

"Yea…I got them." He murmured quietly. 

Yugi's friend raised an eyebrow at his sudden quietness. "You okay?" 

"Yea. The sun's just getting to me, that's all."                   

The fairy was a nice sized boat with seats and such for people to sit on either inside or on the deck. There was hardly anyone on the fairy who wasn't dressed in a school uniform. A few couples and ship hands were all that were there. 

Joey sat happily on one of the benches outside. "This has to be one of the greatest trips I have ever been on." He announced as he stretched his arms over his head. 

"For once in your life Joey, you're right." Tristan laughed. "This has to be one of the greatest things we've ever done." 

Téa and Yugi stood at the railing staring out at the ocean. The breeze brushed their faces softly as a bit of the salt spray hit their faces. They, along with most of the others in their class, hoped to see some dolphins. As they stayed concentrated on the water below them, Téa yelped with delight.  "Look Yugi! Dolphins! Right there!" She said happily, pointing into the clear blue water. 

Sure enough, three large slick looking bottle-noised dolphins raced along side the boat. They were trying to race the ship as they breached from the ocean and dove gracefully back into its depths.  "They look so beautiful." The girl stated, sighing. 

Yugi nodded in agreement. As he watched the creatures playfully jump along side the ship, his mind began to wander. Glancing over towards the front of the ship, he saw something that he didn't expect to see. There, standing a few feet down from where he was, was a lovely young woman. Her flowing violet hair brushed in the breeze gently as she stared out at the dolphins jumping and playing. She had a light tan color to her skin that seemed to make her blue eyes stand out even more. She work a white with pink rose printed sundress with sandals in order to stay cool in the heat of Egypt's early summer. 

The girl, a bit older than Yugi, laughed as the cool salt water splashed her lightly. This caused the boy to smile himself. That's when it happened. The girl turned her head and came eye to eye with him. They both smiled at each other calmly as the boat continued to steam onward towards the shores of Cairo. 

Moving away from her place against the railing, the teen made her way over to where Yugi and Téa stood. As she moved closer, a sudden gust of air caused something to fly out from her hand. She gasped as she watched her position glide away from her. 

Seeing the card jump in front of him, Yugi quickly made a lunge for it. He wrapped his fingers tightly around the card and pulled it into safety. "Gottcha." He murmured. 

"Oh!" The girl stated as she ran up to him. "Thank you for catching that. I don't know what I would have done without that card. It's the strongest in my deck." She exclaimed. 

Grinning with a tinge of red of his cheeks, Yugi locked eyes with the woman. "You're welcome. It was nothing." Glancing down at the card, his eyes widened. "The Dark Magician? I have this card. I almost always play it when I duel." 

"You duel?" She asked as Yugi handed back her card. 

"Does he duel?" Joey's voice suddenly piped in, causing Yugi to turn even redder than before. Within moments, the blond haired, Brooklyn talking teen appeared at his friend's side with a huge grin on his face. "Why, Yugi here is the best duelist in the world. He's defeated almost every possible duelist out there. Now, if that isn't good, than you tell me what is?" 

The girl looked at Yugi in absolute aw. "Wow! I can't believe I would meet such a skilled duelist all the way out here on a boat going to Cairo." Extending her hand, she smiled. "I'm Artesia. It's a pleasure to meet you Yugi." 

"Likewise." Yugi replied as he locked in a handshake with Artesia. 

"So," the girl began, looking at the group behind the short youth. "Who are your friends?" 

Smiling his usual big grin, the duelist turned so that he could introduce his friends. "This is Joey, Tristan, and Téa." Yugi told Artesia. 

The murmurs of 'hellos' were exchanged between them and then Artesia turned to look at Yugi again. "You guys here for a school trip?" 

"Yea. We're spending two weeks in Cairo." Tristan explained. "It's the freshmen class trip." 

Her face lighting up, Artesia clapped her hands together. "Really? That means you'll be here for the Festival of Kings and the liniment." 

Raised eyebrows were spread about the group as they saw the girl's sudden excitement. That's when the light bulb went on in Yugi's head. "I've heard about the alignment. But not the Festival of Kings." 

"What alignment are you talking about?" Tristan questioned, feeling a bit out of the loop. 

Looking up at the sky, Artesia grinned. "For the first time in 5,000 years, all nine planets of the solar system will be aligned one directly behind the other creating a massive eclipse."

Glancing upward into the sky as well, Joey raised a questionable eyebrow. "How long is it suppost to last?"

"One full hour." Yugi told, sounding very sure. "My grandfather told me that the planetary alignment could cause some people to have strange things happen to them." He added, thinking back to his dreams. The thought made him shutter lightly.

"It is a once and a lifetime experience. It last occurred back when Egypt was still under the rule of pharaohs." Artesia explained. "That's why the Festival of Kings is so big this year."

Téa leaned against the cool metal railing. "What is the Festival of Kings?"

Smiling, the violet haired girl cleared her throat lightly. "It is when people who have the bloodline of the ancient kingdoms gather together and demonstrate rituals that were performed in the times of that kingdom." Flinging her hair slightly, Artesia flashed a victory sign. "I'm a ceremonial dancer."

The group of young duelist seemed pretty impressed. "What kingdom are you descended from?" Tristan wondered. 

As she was about to answer, the captain's voice came over the load speaker. "Attention passengers. We are now prepared to dock in the Cairo port. Please enjoy your stay and watch your step." 

"Domino High School Students!" A high-pitched woman's voice called above the crowed boat deck. "Domino High Students, please come this way to the front of the ship!" 

Winking at the girl, Joey grinned widely. "Well, that's our cue. It was nice meeting you Artesia." 

"The pleasure was all mine," She stated politely. "Will I see you again anytime soon?" 

"We'll see ya at the festival. I can't wait to see it now. From what you have told us, it sounds like a blast!" Téa exclaimed. 

Artesia looked down at Yugi. "Thank you again for saving my card." 

Blushing slightly, the young duelist grinned. "It was nothing. I always like to help out a fellow duelist."

Moving her head next to his, Artesia peaked Yugi's cheek lightly with a kiss. "I look for you at the festival. Besides, now that I know you're one of the best duelists in the world, I want to see how I match up." 

Trying furiously to keep his face from getting any redder than it already was, Yugi could only nod. "Great. Well then, see ya around." And with that, the girl turned and strolled off towards the rear of the ship. 

As Artesia turned the corner, Joey and Tristan glared at their short friend. "Yugi gets all the breaks with women." Joey stated.

"How could we never get a chance?" Tristan added on, sounding just as annoyed. 

"Maybe because you two hardheads just don't appeal to the opposite sex as much as Yugi does," Téa told them flatly.  

But Yugi wasn't listing to their jokes. He was still in a bit of a shock. Placing a hand to his cheek, he could still Artesia's lip-gloss. It had been a very light kiss, which he knew, didn't mean anything. And even if he were to think that, Yugi knew that wasn't an, 'I think you're cute' kiss. To him, it was more of a kiss that a mother would give an upset child. A kiss of protection. 

"Yugi! EARTH TO YUGI! COME IN YUGI!" Joey's voice echoed his thoughts, making him jump slightly. "My god, you think you had never been kissed."

Wiping the gloss off his cheek, Yugi shook his head. "Please Joey. Give me a break. That was nothing. She just said thank you, that's all." 

"Yea…" Téa muttered. "Whatever."

"I'm telling you the truth." Yugi insisted, but his friends didn't listen as they joined the rest of their class at the exit ramp. 

Upon entering the busy streets of the city, the freshmen class felt as if they were thrown back in time. They walked through an open street market like the one back over in India. The difference in this one though was the fact that these salesmen were a lot more aggressive about getting you to buy their products. Yugi led the way through the crowd with Téa clutching onto the back of his jacket. Joey had grabbed a hold of his pint-sized friend's backpack, while Tristan held onto Joey's jacket. They weaved their way in and out of the clumps of people, trying to make it to the hotel, which was right down the road from dock. 

On rare occasion, they would see another school uniform to lead them in the right direction. But that was becoming very unreliable. As they continued to walk, the people started to part ways in the street. Wondering what was happening, the duelists turned to see a bus driving slowly towards them. It gently made its way through the crowed streets, letting passengers jump on as it drove by. 

"What do ya say?" Joey smirked as he let go of Yugi. "Let's hitch a ride to the hotel." Running from his friends, the blond jogged quickly up to the side of the bus and was then helped aboard by one of the guys from their school. 

"Whatcha waitin' for? A written invitation? Move it!" Joey called as the bus seemed to pick up the pace. 

Tristan, Téa, and Yugi glanced at each other and made a run for the bus. Tristan was the first one to reach the moving back railing of the bus. With one mighty leap, he managed to land on the rim of the crowed balcony of the bus. Turning back making sure to keep one hand on the railing, he outstretched his hand to Yugi. The teenager quickly grasped onto Téa's wrist and both of them leapt at Tristan's hand. As soon as they locked together, with the help of Joey, Tristan managed to help both of them over the rail and then himself. 

Breathing a bit harder than usual, Téa sighed. "Man, you just gotta love foreign country transportation."   

The hotel that the teens were staying in was one of the most modern ones in the city of Cairo. You could tell easily from the large marble columns outside that the interior would just as elegant and graceful looking. 

Upon entering the large lobby, the freshman were greeting by the sound of a piano playing. The corridor where the oak check-in desks were located had floors that had the same marble laid down as the pillars and were covered with beautiful red oriental rugs. Just beyond the main desks, was a large sitting area that broke off into where the pool was on one side and the bar was. Here, hotel guests could lounge, relax, and talk while having a drink from the bar and listen to the piano player take requests on her baby grand piano. This hotel had fourteen floors, making it one of the biggest hotels in the city. 

Yugi and his companions stood in the sitting area and looked up. Three large crystal chandeliers hung above, topping off the feeling of importance. 

"This place is gorgeous." Téa exclaimed. "I feel like royalty or something." 

"Attention Domino Students. Come and get your room assignments." Mr. Fujimama shouted, causing the teens to come running. 

There were to be three students to a suite. Yugi, Tristan, and Joey were all roommates and Téa would be two of her friends. As their teacher handed each student their room keys and announced the number, Joey turned to Téa. "We'll meet ya down here in an hour okay? We'll just go and unpack."

"Sounds great. See ya later then." And with that, Téa went off with her roommates to try to find her room. 

The room that Yugi, Joey, and Tristan were given wasn't exactly huge. It was on the thirteenth floor, which was quite the hike, even thought it was by elevator. There was a small sitting area with a television and a pull out couch. Next to the door was a mini fridge with a lock on it. Down a small corridor was the bedroom with two twin beds. There was a balcony that overlooked the desert and the Great Pyramids. Since they were up so high, the view was breath taking. 

After 3 out of 5 rounds of rock, paper, scissors, Yugi and Joey got the twin beds and Tristan was forced onto the couch. As they began to unpack their luggage, which had been brought to their rooms for them, Yugi couldn't help but be sidetracked by the scene outside the windows. There, directly outside on the balcony was the most beautiful landscape of the buildings of the city with the graceful pyramids towering over them with their power and ancient might. 

Dropping his last bit of clothing carelessly into a drawer, Yugi moved over to the doors and opened them. As he stepped out onto the small platform, he let the wind brush his hair and face as he lend against the cool metal rail. The sun was beginning to set slowly into the shadows of the ancient city and the moon was starting to become more and more visible. Lights across the city started to turn on one set at a time, causing a feeling of serenity to wash over him. 

Resting his head on his arms, Yugi couldn't help but sigh. 'I don't see why Grandpa was so worried. Nothing is going to happen. I feel at home here.'

"Hey Yugi," Tristan's voice entered his ears, causing him to glance back at the teen. He and Joey were standing in the doorway watching him curiously. "Whatcha doing?" 

Glancing skyward, Yugi pointed. "Looking at the alignment. You can see it starting now." He explained. 

"Really?" Joey asked excitedly. Running over to the railing, he too looked up. "Where? Where is it?"

Laughing lightly, the young duelist pointed towards where the sun was setting. "If you look directly above where the sun is setting, you'll see two bright stars really close to one another. Those dotes are Mercury and Venus. I give them a minute and then they'll be aligned."

Tristan quickly joined his two comrades at the rail as well. Sure enough, within the minute, the smaller of the two bright stars disappeared behind the larger one, creating a halo affect around it. 

"Amazing…" Joey breathed.

The others nodded in agreement. As Yugi watched, he heard the sounds of tapping at the door. Turning from the celestial showcase, he rushed to the door. There, Téa greeted him. 

"Do you guys want to get some dinner?" She inquired sweetly. 

At the sound of the word dinner, both Tristan and Joey appeared by Yugi's side. "Did you say dinner?" They asked in unison, acting like two jumpy dogs waiting to be taken out on a walk. 

This sight made both Yugi and Téa both sweatdropped. Clearing his throat, Yugi smiled. "I think you should take that as a yes." 

*~*~*~ Please Read and Review~*~*~* 


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